That Night
by Tashah2109
Summary: It's a high possibility that we wont ever see what happened on the date in 'Snitch.' So this is my take on it. Shandy fluff.


For Sophie

 **That Night**

" _No it can't be, I'll just ignore_ _  
_ _But then she's never looked at me that way before"_

'Something There' – Beauty and the Beast

Courage, the ability to do something that frightens someone. For some that means waking up every day fighting literal flames. For some it is to face situations they never wanted to admit exist. For those of us in the police it could mean so many things. Walking into a neighbourhood with consistently high gun crimes, or telling the heartbroken mother that she wont see her babies walk through the door again.

Courage comes in many guises, yet it remains a fickle thing. How is it that someone who rolls the dice with their life every day still can't pick up the courage to admit his true feelings a woman that he is slowly but surely starting to love?

What if by admitting that you were falling in love with one of your closest friends you were risking everything? That maybe you had reached the age where everyone assumed that starting a relationship led to a second marriage and joined families. That two people over the age of fifty aren't capable of simply having a relationship.

Maybe it's quite the opposite? Could it be that being older, and potentially falling in love with someone you already know, and someone you have grown to respect is the best way to do it. Sometimes things blossom like a flower in spring, one moment it is simple chats over coffee, and the next you find yourself wondering what you would do without them. Or how you were living your life without them in it?

Courage comes in all sorts of ways, and can mean a great deal of things to different people, for now I have found the courage to admit to the world that I have fallen in love with one of my best friends, and I am done with waiting to tell her.

Andy took a deep breath and ran a hair through his hair. He had been stood outside the door to Sharon's condo for nearly ten minutes trying to work up the courage to knock on the door. Knowing Sharon he fully expected that she was stood behind the door watching him pace through the peep hole. This was ridiculous, he was a grown man and had been on quite a number of dates in his life. Why was this one so terrifying? He took another set of deep breaths before finally raising his fist to knock on the door.

There he stood and waited, not realising that he was holding a breath until he left him at the sight of the door open in front of him. The gasp left his mouth before he could stop it at the sight that greeted him. There Sharon stood, the red dress clinging to all the right places. She had set it off perfectly with a pair of black strappy stilettos and minimal make up. She looked incredible, and she was going out with him. 'Sharon.' He had been planning a speech for the first time he saw her, everything he wanted to say yet now faced with the reality of the situation none of it seemed enough.

'Andy.' Sharon couldn't help but smile at him, she had spent most of the day trying to mentally pick out an outfit, and it seemed to have got the reaction she wanted. She picked up her bag and walked out of the condo pulling the door closed behind her. 'Shall we?' She reached and wrapped an arm around his.

'It would be my pleasure.' Andy placed a hand on top of her arm before walking with her away from the condo trying his hardest not to start skipping down the hallway.

Sipping her iced water Sharon glanced around the restaurant, Andy had certainly been right. It was an incredibly romantic place, she still hadn't put her finger on exactly what made it. It potentially had something to do with the secluded booth they had been placed in. It wasn't as simple as candles and flowers, but of course they helped.

'You could have had wine you know.' Andy had been surprised at the simplicity of her drink order. He was well aware of how partial she was to a fine grape.

'I know.' Sharon simply sipped her water again. She hadn't intended on ordering water, in fact she had been quite surprised herself to hear the word water leave her mouth. Yet she didn't want to think into it too much, or admit to Andy the real reasoning behind her choice.

'That's ok then.' Andy smiled before sipping his own drink. 'Some however may have called it a presumptuous choice.'

'I don't know what you mean Lieutenant Flynn.' Sharon could feel the blush creeping up her neck and starting to colour her cheeks. ' Were her motivations really that obvious? That the prospect of a potential kiss was really what had swayed her drinks order?

'Well whatever the reasoning I appreciate the gesture.' Andy slowly reached a hand across the table and was relieved when Sharon met it with her own before taking his fingers in her own. 'I'm glad you finally put me out of my misery.' He winked at her.

'Well it took you long enough to ask Andy, and who knows where we might be if you had only asked sooner.' Sharon paused as the words left her mouth. She had spent so long thinking about this, wondering what could be between the pair of them. Being here with him on an official date was one thing, letting him know how quickly her mind was running away with the situation was another.

'I would like to remind you that we are currently in the year 2015. It is possible for a woman to do the asking.' Andy knew that he was privileged to have seen beneath the mask she wore at work. 'Unless you're ready to admit that you are a hopeless romantic at heart?' He knew as the words left his mouth that he might have gone too far. She was starting to open up to him.

Sharon nodded at him. 'Maybe.' How could this man know her so well already? 'You could say that I was waiting…' She couldn't finish the sentence. Not yet.

Andy wasn't going to push her. She had already given her more this evening then he could have ever asked for. Moving her hand her stroked his thumb across the back of her palm, he couldn't help but glance down, there was something relieving about seeing her hand bare of the golden band that had bound her to Jack. The groove was becoming less faint and the colour evening out, he knew that she still worried about people seeing it whether she cared to admit it or not. Gently he stroked across the mark before lifting her hand to place a gentle kiss against the spot. It was a simple gesture but one that meant a lot to both of them.

'It's funny, when I first took it off I knew people were looking, and that so many of them were asking questions. 'Is she seeing someone.' 'Why now.' I still think it's amazing how much can be determined by a simple band.' Sharon hated how long it had taken her to remove the ring, but she hated more how much people passed judgement on her empty finger. Not Andy, never Andy.

'Who cares? That piece of jewellery doesn't define you. You are incredible Sharon is so many aspects, and as much as it pains me to say you don't need a man to determine who you are.' No matter what he felt for the woman, he respected her too much to think that she needed a man in her life. Yet that knowledge only made him feel more privileged that she had chosen to be here with him.

Sharon looked and him and couldn't help but smile, as she thought back to the first time they had met and quite how far they had come. 'Let's get the bill.'

Andy wasn't sure how she had done it, but Sharon had once again turned one of the simplest sentences into one of the most seductive thing he had heard in years. 'My pleasure.'

Stopping at the door to her condo Sharon turned around and took both of his hands. 'Tonight was incredible, thank you.' She gently squeezed his hands.

'You're welcome, same time next week?' He winked at her as he said it.

'I would like that.' Sharon smiled back at him. Then she stopped. How had it become this awkward so quickly? They were both adults. Sharon quickly realised that it was now or never. They had danced around this far too long. She released his hands and before he could protest she bought her hands to his face and pulled his lips to meet hers.

Sharon was kissing him before he realised that it was happened, but as her lips touched his he felt himself melting into the kiss. All of the worries about being rejected were gone, he wished that he could stay in this moment forever.

As Sharon finally broke the kiss she kept her eyes trained on his. She hadn't realised that in the moment she had moved onto her tiptoes to meet him. Bringing herself down she couldn't help but let out a small giggle. 'Well that was worth missing forgoing the wine.' She placed another peck on his cheek before opening the door and walking inside. 'Night Andy.'

Andy watched the door shut before realising that he hand was still raised in a wave. Sure that the door was shut he raised a hand to his cheek, feeling where just a moment ago her lips had rested. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point he would tell her. He was falling in love with his Captain, and soon he would want the world to know.


End file.
